Clark County

LANGUAGE

The Census asks questions about language use at home to locate groups of people who speak a language other than English. Their isolation or integration into a primarily English speaking community can be determined by their ability to speak English proficiently.

Language Spoken at Home, 1990-2000

1990

2000

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Only English

19,585

96.96%

21,237

95.91%

Spanish

344

1.70%

594

2.68%

Other Indo-European*

185

0.92%

184

0.83%

Asian Language**

51

0.25%

70

0.32%

Other

34

0.17%

57

0.26%

Total Population Age 5+

20,199

100.00%

22,142

100.00%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000

Language Spoken at Home:

Number

Percent

Spanish

307

51.68%

Other Indo-European*

42

22.83%

Asian Language**

61

87.14%

Other Language

9

15.79%

Total

419

1.89%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990

Language Spoken at Home:

Number

Percent

Spanish

192

55.81%

Other Indo-European*

38

20.54%

Asian Language**

31

60.78%

Other Language

15

44.12%

Total

276

1.37%

* "Other Indo-European" excludes English and Spanish. "Indo-European" is not synonymous with "European." French, German, Hindi, and Persian are all classified as Indo-European. Hungarian, on the other hand, is lumped into "Other Language."

** "Asian Language" includes languages indigenous to Asia and Pacific islands areas that are not also Indo-European languages. Chinese, Japanese, Telugu, and Hawaiian are all classified here.

Also note that ability to speak English "very well" is based on the self-assessment of those responding to Census questions, not on a test of language ability.